A Time to Confront; A Time to Comfort

I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.(2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

Reflect

Paul explained that it was time to forgive the man who had been punished by the church and had subsequently repented. He needed forgiveness, acceptance, and comfort. Satan would gain an advantage if they permanently separated this man from the congregation rather than forgiving and restoring him. This may have been the man who had required the disciplinary action described in 1 Corinthians 5, or he may have been the chief opponent of Paul who had caused Paul the anguish described in 2 Corinthians 2:1-11. The sorrowful letter had finally brought about the repentance of the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 7:8-14), and their discipline of the man had led to his repentance.

Church discipline should seek restoration. Two mistakes in church discipline should be avoided: being too lenient and not correcting mistakes, or being too harsh and not forgiving the sinner. Satan tries to harm the church by tempting it to use discipline in an unforgiving way. This causes those exercising discipline to become proud of their purity, and it causes the person who is being disciplined to become bitter and perhaps leave the church entirely. We must be cautious that personal anger is not vented under the guise of church discipline. There is a time to confront and a time to comfort.

Respond

Pray for wisdom for your church leaders, who have to administer discipline when necessary. Consider also how you can use Paul’s admonition as you discipline your children or confront someone else. How can you strike a balance between confronting and comforting that person?